ST. LOUIS -- Busch Stadium, home of the reigning World Champion St. Louis Cardinals, will completely prohibit smoking inside the ballpark beginning with Opening Night, Sunday, April 1, when the Cards play host to the New York Mets.

The new policy makes Busch Stadium the 15th of 30 ballparks in Major League Baseball to go completely smoke-free. Smoking has been prohibited in Busch Stadium's seating areas since 1995.

Recognizing there are fans who smoke, the Cardinals will implement a special new policy, permitting smokers to exit and re-enter the ballpark at three designated exit/re-entry gates:

 Gate 2 - on the corner of Eighth and Poplar, outside the Cardinal Club
 Gate 4 - on Clark Street, east of the Team Store entrance
 Gate 6 - on Broadway, outside Ford Plaza

"The Cardinals, along with our fans, have had a full season to experience the new Busch Stadium and now we're looking for ways to enhance the fan experience within the ballpark. Among those changes is a no-smoking policy," said Cardinals president Mark Lamping. "Unlike old Busch, which generally had open-air concourses, the new ballpark is designed with many services, amenities and access areas - such as stairwells - which are enclosed. Smoke collects in these stairwells and other enclosed areas, and that works against our goal of providing a healthy, fan-focused environment.

"The trend in St. Louis and throughout the nation is to provide a smoke-free experience for guests attending sports and entertainment events, and the vast majority of our fans have clearly communicated to us that they want the same experience at Busch Stadium. By introducing a special re-entry policy, fans who wish to smoke may do so by exiting and re-entering the ballpark at designated gates on each side of the stadium."

Ashtrays will be stationed outside exit/re-entry Gates 2, 4, and 6. The entire Busch Stadium staff has been trained to direct fans wishing to smoke to the designated exit/re-entry gates and smoking areas outside the ballpark. All guests' cooperation is appreciated.